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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: hand · fall · craft · straw · game · key · face · stick

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. hand — in cards
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. craft — boats
  6. craft — a skill
  7. hand — help
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. fall — to drop
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fall — to drop
  16. key — in music
  17. face — to point toward
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. fall — the season
  21. key — the most important part
  22. game — a match
  23. key — for a lock
  24. straw — a straw man

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com